David Coulthard names his top three Red Bull F1 drivers and takes sly dig at ‘boy man’ Daniel Ricciardo

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David Coulthard spent the last four years of his Formula 1 career at Red Bull, having joined from McLaren in 2005. That meant he took part in the team’s first-ever race in Australia.

Coulthard retired just as Red Bull rolled out a race-winning car, having helped to build the foundations for today’s success. He scored two podiums for Christian Horner’s squad, taking his career tally to 62.

The Scotsman, who had partnered Mark Webber in his last two years, was replaced by Sebastian Vettel. Vettel would go on to win four straight world titles between 2010 and 2013 before he joined Ferrari for the 2015 season.

There was a year of overlap between Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, who succeeded compatriot Webber. When the German moved on, Red Bull first turned to Daniil Kvyat before fast-tracking the prodigious Max Verstappen instead.

Verstappen and Ricciardo formed one of the strongest pairings on the grid, but they didn’t have the car to consistently challenge Mercedes. The latter made a surprise move to Renault in 2019, and Horner has struggled to find a dependable option since.

Pierre Gasly lasted just six months, while Alex Albon only lasted 18. Sergio Perez is into his fourth season but his recent performances have been so poor that it could open the door for Ricciardo, back at junior team RB, to make a sensational return.

David Coulthard explains why Mark Webber was better than Daniel Ricciardo

Speaking to Motorsport.com Netherlands, Coulthard ranked his top three Red Bull drivers. He had no doubt that Verstappen, set to become a four-time world champion this year, belongs in first.

Vettel, he says, lacked the longevity required to claim top spot. He lost his Ferrari seat at the end of 2020, which saw him drop down to Aston Martin.

For the final spot, Coulthard favoured Webber over Ricciardo. It largely came down to what he sees as a superior mentality.

He made reference to Webber’s victory at the 2010 British GP, which came after the team gave Vettel their only new front wing. And he feels that Ricciardo shied away from the challenge of facing Verstappen by leaving in 2019.

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“That has to be Max, Max and Max!” Coulthard said when asked for his choices. “You can’t take anything away from Seb’s four world titles, but if you look at his career as a whole, Seb was no longer as impressive at the end as when he won his world titles.

“Look at Michael Schumacher at Mercedes, he was also no longer as impressive in that period as he was in his Ferrari time. It shows that everyone has their own time, but I think it is obvious to put Max first.

“Seb is second with his four world titles. As for P3, I would say Mark Webber ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, because he was a more ‘manly man’ and Daniel a bit more of a ‘boy man’, so to speak.

“The latter is partly due to the fact that Webber did not let anyone walk all over him and, among other things, bit back with ‘not bad for a number 2 driver’. Moreover, Oscar Piastri’s current manager had to compete with the then world champion for years, while Ricciardo preferred a lucrative departure to Renault to fighting with a Verstappen on the rise.”

Christian Horner makes surprising choice for best Red Bull line-up as Sebastian Vettel snubbed

Based on Coulthard’s choices, the combination of Vettel and Webber would be the strongest in Red Bull history. The two drivers competed for the title in 2010, along with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

But speaking in 2023, Horner named Verstappen-Perez as his best line-up. Those comments have aged poorly.

Indeed, Horner wanted to sign Carlos Sainz to replace the Mexican. But a deal wasn’t feasible given historical tension between Sainz and Verstappen.

Red Bull lead the constructors’ championship by 42 points heading into the final 10 races of 2024. On current form, however, McLaren will overtake them well before the season ends.